St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-04-14
The Interstate Convention at Faribaulf
Organizes as a Business Mems
Association.
Each Board of Trade and Each Farmers
Organization Entitled to One
Representative.
A Long Series of Resolutions Charg.
ing the Railroads With Unjust
Determinations,
And Urging the State and Interstate
Commissions to Enforce the
New Law.
Special to the Globe

mlttee on organization reported the follow
Ing plan. which was adopted:
First. This organization shall be known al
the Business Mems Association of the STATE
of Minnesota. Tne object of this association
shall be to secure equal and just rates OF
transportation OF persons and property in
accordance with state and national legisIa
ton.
second. This association shall consist OF
one member from each board OF trade each
business mems association and each farmers
organization in this state, who shall b,
elected for term of one year and until theil
successors are elected, provided that no i'm
corporated municipal organization or town.
snip shall be entitled to more than one mem
Der, and provided further that the delegates
from each organization here represented shall
select one member to represent,such organi.
zatlon until the first annual meeting, which
snail be called to assemble on the first Tues.
day in June next.
Third. The officers of this organization
shall be president, first and second vice
presidents, secretary, treasurer, and an
executive committee Of seven members to
be elected by this convention and apnuallv
thereafter by the regular annual meeting of
the association, whose duty it shall be to rep
resent this association in all matters pertain-
ing to the objects of this association. The
executive committee is empowered to fill all
vacancies occurring in the offices of this as
sociatlon, to serve until the succeeding an
nual meeting.
Fourth-The annual meetings of this asso-
citation Shall be held on the first Tuesday in
June In each year at such place as may be
designated by the executive committee. of
which due notice shall be given. Special
meetings shall be called by the presidenr
upon request of the executive committee or
OF ten members of the association
flfth-Ihe president vice presidents and
secretary shall be ex-oficio members of the
executive committee and officers thereof.
Sixth-The fee for membership to this or.
ganlzatlon shall be So. Additional sums shall
be provided by equitable assessment made
under the direction of the executive commit.
tee.
The chairman appointed a committee of
seven on permanent organization. viz: j.
r. Parshall. Faribault; G. A. Hazard,
Rushford; l.. A. Moore, Mankato; r. M.
Todd, Albert Lea; r. o. Hull, Austin; P.
c. Bailey, Waseca; f. Nicolin, Jordan.
The meeting instructed the executive COM
mittee to send proceedings of this meetins
to ali boards of trades and similar organiza
tions OF the state with invitation to join thu
association.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The committee OH permanent organiza-
tion reported the following:
E. NJ. Pope, Maukato, president: N. P,
Colburn. Rushford, first vice-president; j. F.
Norrish. Hastings, second vice-president: J.
NJ. Burlingame, Owatonna, secretary: P, C.
Baily. Waseca, treasurer; executive COM
mittee, W. P. Sargent, Albert Lea; ]. h
Parshall, Faribault; j. H. Mullin, Wabasha:
R. o. Hull, Austin; &. P. Carpenter, Farming-
ton; o. F. Perkins, Northfield; C. A. Erick.
| son, Red Wing.
The place of holding the June meeting is
to be Mankato. The following persons
were reported as members from the board of
| trade OF their respective towns:
r. G. Libby, Hastings; Il. NJ. Todd, Albert
Lea; j. a. Pugh, Waseca; j. r. Rust, Zums
brota; c. K. Gribie, Pennington; N. Schaefer,
Owatonna; F. B. Segur, Cannon Falls: L. A.
Moore, Mankato; c. F. Rand, Wabasha; A.
E. Hazard, Rushford; j. N. Powers. Norris
town: ]. T. Ames, NorthfieId; D. E. Potter,
Waterville; E. H. Loyben, FariDault; r.
Nicholi, Jordon: C. G. Edwards Spring Walk
| ley: o. Ayers, Austin.
The committee on resolutions reported
the following, which were adopted:
Whereas, Intermediate cities:and places have
! heretofore suffered in their material interests
| by the grossly unjust determinations Of rail.
way companies in the carriage of, freight in
favor OF terminal points and against such in
lermediate points to the Generalization. and
in many cases total destruction of many of
! the business enterprises and industries of
| such places; and
| Whereas, The charge of a greater sum for
| ashort than for long haul, tending, as it
does. to build up and favor certain terminal
points and impOverish all Others constitutes
in;our judgment, discrimination in its most
/ glaring and vicious forms; and, q
i;fWhereaS. The interstate commerce law was
| enacted to secure just and reasonable rates of
| transportation of persons and property to all
| sections of our country in the interest
| of general prosperity rather than the
abnormal growth of favored terminal railroad
| centers; and
Whereas, In our Judgment the impartial en-.
forcement Of that law will tend to advance the
commercial and material interest of the
whole state and country; and
| Whereas, There is reasonable cause to be-
| lieve that certain heretofore favor ed railroad
centers, particularly terminal points as well
| as the railroads themselves, are now contem.
| plating measures to render ineffective SAID
| law aud to evade aud suspend such of its
\ provisions as are not in their special interest:
! Resolved, That while we recognize the rail-
4 roads as prominent factors in the Develop
4 nnent of this state and would do nothing to
tjmpHir their usefulness or render their actual
A Investments Improbable. yet that we do in-
sist that their management should be so reg
/ ulated as to secure just and reasonable rates
! for the transportation of persons and prop.
| erty to all citizens and to all portions of the
state.
| Resolved, That all sections of the state out
| side OF two or three terminal points have q
| common interest in these matters and should
make an earnest and united effort to secure
! such thorough and impartial enforcement
! OF the interstate law, and of all state laws
regulating common carriers, that no person
| Or sections shall be enriched or built up at
| the expense or improvement of other persons
! or sections, but in such manner as to secure
general prosperity throughout the state.
/ Resolved. That this organization should
promptly take measures to bring to the
| knowledge of the commercial, manufactur-
ing and producing interests of the whole
| state In OH fraf.
hc which have heretofore been practiced
against any of them, and that it should be
on the alert and prepared to meet with ar
gumentS. facts and figures all efforts that
shall be made with the interstate commerce
commission to inequitably evade or suspend
any OF the provisions of the law applicable to
this state.
Whereas, The laws of this state declare
that it shall be unlawful for any common
carrier to make or give any unequal or I'm.
reasonable preference advantage to any
particular person, company, firm, corpor-
alton or locality on any particular traffic; and
| !, Whereas, Said law authorizes and directs
the railroad commissioners Of this state to
compel railroad companies doing business in
this state to adopt fair and reasonable rates
for all classes of freight without any prejus
dice in any respect whatever; and
Whereas, 1t is alleged the present rates OF
freight on shipments from Southern Minne-
sofa points to Duluth are at least four times
| SrSater per tOn per uiiie iTOui luS pOlHtS VI
shipment to St. Paul than from st. Paul to
Duluth, which is one of many cases singled
out to Illustrate a general practice of unjust
discrimination: therefore
Resolved, That the executive committee be
and they hereby are requested to investigate
such charges, and to prosecute and enforce
just reasonable and equitable rates for the
transportation of such freight, in accordance
with the laws of the state.
Resolved, That we do insist upon the prompt
energetic and faithful enforcement Of both
the interstate and state laws, and that we de-
mand of our railroad commissioners diligence